Still Thankful

After ignoring my computer for the entirety of the long Thanksgiving weekend, I am feeling refreshed. And incredibly grateful.

Many of us make lists of what we are thankful for in honor of Thanksgiving. The day before Thanksgiving, Mick and I went to our regular Wednesday night yoga class. The class ended with a walking meditation during which we were instructed to think of something we were grateful for with each step we took. After the first few steps, it was like floodgates opened: the list of what I am grateful for is enormous. It includes the usual – family, friends, pets, food, warmth, shelter – as well as things I don’t usually think about, like a washing machine in my house, a car that starts in the cold, soap that smells good, a shower that gets good and hot, coffee cups that feel good in my hands, a view of the sunset from my living room, squirrels that flick their tails on our deck, chickadees that know when we fill our bird feeders, a newspaper subscription, a toaster, a coffeemaker, a front door that locks. For everything that popped into my head, there was something logical that followed it and then branched off into other areas of my life. Big things, little things, intangible things. Scrambled eggs. Safety. Warm socks. Love. By the end of class, I felt not only relaxed and restored, but joyous. So much came to mind during that meditation that I’m still thinking about it all now, days later.

For this holiday season, I’m committed to taking a little time every day for this kind of meditation on gratitude. Oh, did I say for the holiday season? Wait. I mean from now on.